Golden Globe winning film ‘Minari’ tops domestic advance ticket sales

“I only hope that this film relates to all walks of life,” said Lee Issac Chung, director of the film “Minari,” which won the Golden Globes best foreign language film on Monday in his message to Korea where the film opened on Wednesday. “I believe more people have begun to talk about ‘Minari,’ and talk about what it means to be an American and what it means to be a foreigner. I only hope that you will watch this movie. That would be the genuine impact of the Golden Globe,” he said.

The movie ranked No. 1 in advance ticket sales after the news of the award with ticket sales rate reaching 32.5% as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday.. This far exceeds reservation rates of “Raya” and “The Last Dragon,” Disney’s latest animation film which opens on Thursday (20.1%).

“Minari” is based on a story of a Korean immigrant family settling in rural Arkansas in the 1980s. The autobiographical story of the director, a second-generation Korean born in the U.S., captures the identify crisis that many immigrants to the U.S. experience and the value of family love as they overcome the obstacles together. 　

Many predict the film to win awards at the Academy Awards, which will be held on April 25. Variety, a U.S. entertainment media, predicted Youn Yuh-jung, who played the role of Soon-ja, was most likely to win the best supporting actress title. Minari Han Ye-ri came in fifth most likely on the Best Actress Award while Steven Yeun ranked fourth for the Best Actor Award. “Minari” ranked third as the predicted nominee for the best picture.


Jae-Hee Kim jetti@donga.com